The Republican journal., 1887-08-18
A Village Scandal.

SilIdSG OCdHudl'
phaicallv.
But What everybody says must lie true. -
persisted Mrs. Jeffrey.
by no means" said Helen Grant. "once
every body said the earth was fiat. now we all
know il is rollnd.'
'.>pcak for YOURSELF" re:ortcd Mrs. Jeffrey.
Il don't know lis round, but I'm willing to
believe il ON good evidence. Thank heaven,
I'm not so >tuhbnrn that ] won't hcli,vc I'm
onc of The sort that can h" convinced Of II thing
even if don't see it,
Mrs. Grant flushed Il little. and tears c.lnc to
her eyes.
'Slie is my friend, and love her dearly"
she said. 'Sic has faulls-cvcry one can Sce
that-but this wicked. shameful story, simply
cannot believe it. OH. Mrs. Jeffrey, can you
Hot sec that it is a matter of conscience with
me as well as with you:"
Mrs. Jeffrey, little ashamed. but OF the same
opinion still, rose to go.
"lf the matter is brought up in the church.
you will then hear all the evidence. After you
see the letter you may change your mind.'
Pine Falls was convulsed over its first Scan-
dial. The tongue of ccnsurc, that had family
rcproved when Abram Harris had carried his
mother of to the pocrhouSc, and INDUCED in
audible criticisms when Laura Cowles had been
baptiscd in the river in midwintcr during
church revival and died of inilammatory rhe;,-
natiSm Il week afterward, had now broken
silence and carried the story from house to
house until it was Or everybody's lips.
\ mania for visiting seemed to have broken
out among the ladies. Half a dozen could be
seen any day. with a little bundle OF knitting
or crochet in hand. going to make informal
visits or calls at the homes of their intimate
friends or near ncghbors. TO be sure each
lady was very particular to explain, if oppor-
tunty offered, that she had promised Mrs So
intending to take her work and run in' to see
Mrs Sucll-a-one for six months or more. 1t
WAS really shame to neglect ones ncighbors'
Mrs. Jeffrey and Mrs. Martin were seated on
the back porch of the Jeffrey mansion, engag
ed in earnest and confidential conversation.
Overhead in the apple tree the robin sang UNI
heard. On the floor mischievous kitten play
cd with Mrs. Martins ball of zephyr, tangling
the thread unhecded, while her crochet work
lay idly in her lap.
''She always did seem frivolous to me-" re-
marked Mrs. Jeffrey. ''No care of her house,
no interest in domestic matters. There's Il
great deal said in these days about Il woman'S
hiding God-gven talent under bushcl, and
smothering her genius under domestic druu9
cry; but Eve noticed that the women who are
domestic and take an interest in their homes
are not the women who figure in scandal eases
or elopements.''
"Perhaps,' replied Mrs. Martin. who was not
so conservative as her neighbor, ''there's a
great deal of human nature in women rs well
INNI.p Ia II nj fnl- yntn
one thing besides housekeeping. With some
it is painting, with others music. others fancy
work or religion. Eve known women who
were really diSspated, you might say, in re-
ligiolIs work; they carried it to such unreason-
able lengths. You and /. not being gifted in
any of these directions, have gone on in plain,
quiet home life. But we must not on that
count, lind fault with those who see life from
Il different standpoint, or call them frivolous
because they take an interest in things we don't
dress and fancy work, but until this story came
out everybody seemed to like her."
"Well. you can say what you pleasc,' re-
turned Mrs. Jeffrey, wrathfuy, ''when wo-
man behaves herself, she won't be talked about.
The most shameful part of the whole affair is
walking the streets with Mr.. Cotton only last
evening, as cool as you please If there's a
man in this village that | pity, it's Jack
Downs"
The next day was Sunday, and the minister,
Mir. Snow, looked around at the rapidly filling
pcWS with a feeling of calm complacency.
Everybody belonging to the congregation was
there. Every face wore a look of keen cX-
pectancy, and when Jack Downs entered with
his pretty wife, significant looks We're eX
changed and suppressed sensation was vsi-
bic throughout the audience.
Youthful and pretty, she added to these at
fractions by a taste in dress that was simply
perfect. AS she came slowly up the aisle
twirling her fan nonclalantly, whispered com
mcnts passed from one to another.
GLOW brazcn! Did you ever see such cf-
frontcryT murmurcd Mrs. DOrr to Mrs. Cow
les.
''Slle's plucky little piccc" said Mr. Mar
tin to his wife. in Il tone in which surprise was
so evidently Favored with admiration, that his
better half bestowed on him glance of with
cring scorn.
"What audacity!' said Mrs. Brown to her
daughter Cora.
But that young lady, who rcjoiccd in the dis
tinction of being the village pOctess, was wrap
ped in poetic contemplation. She knew that
Mrs. Downs had fallen under public disappro-
baton because of a love-lettcr that had been
found by some one. addressed to her and in Mr..
Colton'S handwriting.
Other people saw the rcprchensible married
ilrt accepting protcstations of love from Il
gentleman acquaintance. Not so, Miss Cora.
This Byronic state of affairs did not SO much
shock her moral scnsbilities, as il presented a
theme for her muse to portray the agones of
| misplaced affection. Viewing the whole mat
ter simply AS an abstraction, she surrcpttiOus-
Iy drew out her hymn-book and slyly pcncilIcd
on the margin:
Let the cold world dcri,lc me,
will but love thee morc
Whatever fate betde thee
Her she stopped, the only rhyme that slIg-
gested itself being ''gore." Struggling with
the situation, she had just changed the line, 81
will not shed thy gorc," to "My heart but can
adOrc,' when she was recalled to herself by the
sound of Mr.. Shows voice as he finished read
ing the usual list of notices.
ga most painful circumstance having arisen,
that seriously affects us as community as well
as congregation, since it comprises the good
names of two of our members, feel it duty
to afford an opportunity for full explanation.
The congregation is invited to meet at the par
sonage tomorrow evening at eight O'Clock. I
hope that every member Of this congregation
will he present"
After that it mattereu little whether the SER
mon was Il marvel of brillancy or the dullest
disquisition that ever bored along-snflering all-
dicncc. No one paid the slightest attention to
it, except old Major Dorr, who was so deaf
that he only caught about one word in ten, and
had thus missed the story of the love-letter that
the School-tcacher had written to Mrs. Downs.
After the conclusion of the services, Mrs.
Cowlcs. Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Martin and Mrs.
jeffrey stopped in the aisle for moments con-
ference.